Maersk Pauses Transit Through Red Sea Until Further Notice After Attack on Ship

By Michael Susin

Danish shipping giant A.P. Moeller-Maersk said it will pause all transit through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until further notice following the attack on its vessel Maersk Hangzhou on Dec. 30.

The shipping company said Tuesday that an investigation into the incident is continuing and that some vessels will be rerouted and continue their journey around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged container vessel that operates between Europe and Asia, came under missile attack on Saturday evening, the U.S. said. Four boats later approached the vessel, shot at it and attempted to board it, according to Moller-Maersk.

Early Sunday, helicopters from nearby U.S. Navy vessels responded to fire coming from boats controlled by Houthis, an Iranian-backed rebel group in Yemen, sinking three of them and killing the crews, the U.S. said. The fourth boat fled. The Houthis later claimed the attack and said they lost 10 fighters in the encounter.

Earlier Tuesday, Hapag-Lloyd said it will continue to avoid Red Sea transits and reroute its vessels around the Cape of Good Hope until at least Jan. 9 in response to the recent attacks.

Write to Michael Susin at michael.susin@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 02, 2024 11:16 ET (16:16 GMT)

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